


been with you such a long time

by sweetillusion



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF
Genre: Family Bonding, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 19:43:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20981339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetillusion/pseuds/sweetillusion
Summary: “I’m going to propose to Rami,” Joe announces.“Took you long enough,” Sami says, sending him a long, probing glance. He crosses his arms and leans against the bar, looking at Joe with undisguised interest. “So tell me your proposal ideas.”“That’s why I’m here,” Joe starts, after an awkward, drawn out pause, “I need some help.”





	been with you such a long time

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [deacydarling](http://deacydarling.tumblr.com) on tumblr who has been having a rough time lately and wanted some Joe and Sami bonding over Rami. Hope this makes you smile! 

“I’m going to propose,” Joe announces.

Sami raises an eyebrow as he slides onto the empty barstool next to Joe. “I’m going to have to decline.”

Joe looks at him, confused. “What?” 

Sami scans the beers on tap and tosses an order to the bartender before he turns to Joe. “You said you were proposing. I’m saying my answer is no,” he says, smirking. “I couldn’t do that to Rami. It would break his heart if I ran away with you.”

Joe sighs and rolls his eyes. “Shut up,” he says, though there’s a smile tugging at his lips. “You know what I meant.”

“Not sure I did. I know you’ve been secretly thinking about running away with me. You’ve always said I was the smarter twin.”

“You are,” Joe agrees, “but unfortunately not the more attractive one.”

Sami laughs. “I disagree. I’m so much cooler than Rami. Rami’s always been a loser.”

“Yeah, maybe, but he’s my loser,” Joe says.

Sami lets out a low hum of agreement. He takes a sip of his beer and sets the glass back down on the bartop with a heavy thud. “So, a proposal?”

Joe fidgets, locking his hands together as he looks away. He’s suddenly nervous now that it’s out there in the open. He’s been turning over the idea for months, mentally writing a list of pros and cons, but Sami is the first person he’s actually talked about it with.

He doesn’t think Sami will be opposed to the idea, but he’s still nervous about his reaction. Sami is one of the most important people in Rami’s life and Joe knows that when he does eventually propose, Rami will immediately tell Sami.

“What do you think?” Joe asks hesitantly. 

“I think you’ve waited long enough,” Sami says, sending him a long, probing glance.

Joe rakes a hand through his hair as he considers Sami’s point. He and Rami have been dating for five years, having reconnected when Rami moved to New York in 2014 to start filming _Mr. Robot_. They went public with their relationship during the circus of the _Bohemian Rhapsody_ press tour. It felt like the right time to bring everything out in the open, and it meant Joe was invited to all the red carpets and award season events not only as a cast member, but also as Rami’s date.

Now that the frenzy of the awards season has ended, things have settled back into something resembling normalcy. Rami has finished filming the final season of _Mr. Robot_ as well as his scenes on the next Bond movie. He’s back in L.A. to film _Little Things_, which works out well since Joe has a few weeks of meetings set up in L.A. to meet with execs and investors about his latest script.

It also gives him the chance of figuring out the finer details of his proposal plan. Hence, his request to meet up with Sami for a few drinks.

“I wanted to propose last year, but then everything with Bo Rhap happened,” Joe says. He hadn’t wanted to take the spotlight away from Rami’s performance and after everything else that occurred during the year, it hadn’t seemed like the right time for a proposal.

“I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t proposed to you either,” Sami remarks. He traces a line of condensation on his glass, his expression distant and thoughtful. “Figured he would’ve done that by now.”

“Maybe he had the same concerns. It wasn’t exactly a great time for me last year.”

Sami’s expression softens and he reaches out to lay a hand on Joe’s arm, squeezing slightly. “I know. It’s been a rough year.”

Joe nods and takes a long pull of his beer, trying to gather his thoughts. While 2018 was tough for more reasons than one, 2019 has come with a different set of challenges. Joe doesn’t want to end the year on a bad note. He wants to end the year being engaged to Rami.

“Do you think he’ll say yes?” Joe asks.

Sami looks at him in disbelief. “Of course he’ll say yes. You already act like an old married couple anyway. All you need to do is make it official.”

Joe flushes, the comment warming him. “Okay, I get it. It was a stupid question.”

“The actual question should be whether he’ll like how you propose.” Sami finishes off his beer and pushes the glass to the side. He crosses his arms and leans against the bartop, looking at Joe with undisguised interest. “So tell me your ideas.”

“Uh….” Joe starts, after an awkward, drawn out pause, “that’s why I’m here. I need some help.”

He and Sami order a ridiculous amount of alcohol, switching from beer to hard liquor pretty quickly. Joe attempts to count how many rounds they’ve already had, loses count halfway through, and then attempts to recount before giving up. The more they drink, the more outlandish their ideas become.

“What if I propose to him at a Queen concert?” Joe asks. He’s already drunk and he can’t quite tell whether or not the ideas he keeps throwing out are any good. Or if he’ll even remember them tomorrow. 

“He’ll hate you forever,” Sami says. He sways a little in his seat, reaching out to grab at the bar to steady himself. He’s not too successful and ends up half-slumping into Joe. “No Queen proposals.”

“Why? Queen means a lot to us,” he says. He thinks Rami would be pleased and amused, especially if he convinces Brian and Roger to help him out. “I could serenade him with ‘You’re My Best Friend’.”

“Don’t do anything in public.”

“But I want everyone to know how much I love him,” Joe says, gesturing to the rest of the bar. He almost accidentally spills his drink and wobbles on the stool a little as he tries to catch it before it topples over. 

Sami eyes him disparagingly, though he’s just as drunk as Joe is right now, so he’s in no place to judge. “He won’t love you anymore if you make a spectacle of yourself in public.”

“I always make a spectacle of myself in public,” Joe says. “It’s part of my charm.”

Sami doesn’t look convinced. “What else do you have?” 

“We could go to Australia. Where it all began. I can propose on the beach and then he’ll be so happy he’ll jump into my arms and we can have sex on the beach.” It comes out as a slurred ramble, but Joe immediately decides that this idea is perfect. Having beach sex with Rami is definitely high on his list of things to explore.

Except those hopes are dashed when Sami shakes his head. “That sounds like a bad romance novel.”

It does, but Joe still likes the idea. Maybe he’ll take Rami away for a romantic seaside vacation one of these days instead.

“But beaches are romantic,” Joe argues.

“You also burn as soon as you step into the sun,” Sami observes, lips twitching with amusement. “Rami won’t find it attractive if you propose looking as red as your hair.”

“Rami finds me attractive no matter what I look like,” Joe says, before pausing to add, “and if I get a sunburn that means I get Rami rubbing lotion into my skin.”

Sami scrunches up his nose in disgust. “Come on, I don’t need to know what you get up to alone.”

“You started it,” Joe grumbles, though he feels a childish sort of glee for causing Sami such discomfort.

“I’m still saying no to a beach proposal,” Sami says.

“You hate all my ideas,” Joe accuses, trying to point at Sami. His aim is off and he ends up jabbing him in the shoulder instead. “You’re no help.”

“How about a movie?” Sami says suddenly. “You direct things. You write things. Make a movie.”

“That would take forever,” Joe whines. “I don’t want it to take forever to propose.”

“You’re going to be with him forever,” Sami points out, “so that’s not a good excuse.”

“Fine,” Joe huffs, though even in his drunken state the idea of being with Rami forever makes him smile. He pulls out his phone and opens it, clumsily tapping out a message to Rami that says, _Sami and I are making a movie!!!! _

Sami leans over his shoulder and groans when he reads the text. “You’re not supposed to tell him.”

Joe shrugs and the squints when Rami replies, _are you drunk?_

Joe angles the phone to take a picture of himself and Sami, but it isn’t until he’s already sent it that he realizes the picture is dark and blurry and has cut off half of Sami’s face. 

_Where are you? I’m coming to get both of you_, Rami replies.

“Rami’s coming to our rescue,” Joe says. He has such a thoughtful boyfriend.

“I’m not that drunk. I can still read,” Sami says. He settles back onto the barstool with a frown. “I can also order an Uber unlike some people.”

“I don’t know if that’s a dig at me or Rami,” Joe says, eyeing him. He knows he’s perfectly capable of getting a cab by himself, even if he is ridiculously drunk.

“Rami,” Sami says. “He’s shit at technology. We’re lucky we were out of college by the time the Myspace craze started.”

“He probably would have had you set up his account and _then_ wouldn’t have even included you in his top eight.”

“Savage,” Sami says ruefully. “Bad enough that he used to set his AIM chats to Comic Sans.”

“No,” Joe gasps in horror. “Please tell me he didn’t use a neon background.”

Sami nods sadly, as if this is the most tragic secret he’s ever uttered.

“I can’t believe this is the man I’ve chosen to spend my life with,” Joe moans, plunking his head down onto the bar. 

That’s how Rami finds them twenty minutes later: drunk, reminiscing about late 90s and early 2000s social media, and laughing about Rami’s bad technology habits.

“I can’t believe you used neon fonts to chat up people back in the day,” Joe says. He drunkenly pats at Rami’s chest to hammer home his point. Rami looks at him in bemusement. “You’re a disgrace.”

“What are you talking about?” Rami asks, looking between Joe and Sami.

“Social media,” Sami says, the words half swallowed by a hiccup. He looks surprised after, then thoughtful. “Also movies.”

“Yes, movies!” Joe says, louder than he intends if the way Rami flinches is any indication. He flops onto Rami, looping a loose arm around his waist and placing a sloppy kiss against his cheek. “We’re gonna make a movie about our love.”

“Oh yeah?” Rami asks, amused. He checks Joe’s pockets for his wallet and phone, and after finding them accounted for he moves Joe’s arm to his neck and places his own arm around Joe’s waist. He nudges Joe in the side and tries to get him to start moving.

“Yeah, Sami and I will write it. I’ll direct obviously.”

“Obviously,” Rami says, clearly humoring him. “And who will star in this movie of yours?”

“Us,” Joe says firmly. He looks at Sami who’s nodding encouragingly. “No one else will be able to accurately capture our love.”

Rami laughs and pats his hip. “Okay, Joey, let’s get you home.” He looks over at Sami and then sighs, “You’re coming, too. You’ve both had enough to drink.”

Rami drags them both out to brunch the next morning. Joe and Sami are miserably hung over and Joe winces as soon as they step into the overly bright diner. His stomach turns as he smells coffee and food, and he doesn’t know if it’s rumbling in hunger or if it’s a sign that he won’t be able to make it through a meal. He hopes it’s the former.

“You’re paying,” Rami tells Sami, pushing him in the direction of an open booth. “Payback for making me come pick you up last night.”

“It was Joe’s idea to get drinks,” Sami complains, sliding into a seat and flipping open a menu. “And I never asked you to come pick us up. I know how to call an Uber.”

He snickers and shoots a look at Joe, who grins back. Rami rolls his eyes and ignores them, far too used to the two of them ganging up to make fun of him and having their own inside jokes at his expense.

“I can’t make Joe pay since that’s basically me paying,” Rami reasons. He kicks at Joe’s foot lightly underneath the table with a smile. “So that’s why you’re paying.”

Joe slumps against Rami, leaning his head on his shoulder. “Order me some pancakes,” he says, “because I’m too tired to read the menu.”

Rami laughs softly and cards his hand through Joe’s hair before letting it rest at the base of his neck. “This is why you shouldn’t go out drinking with Sami.”

“Don’t you judge my life decisions,” Joe says.

“I would never,” Rami replies, sounding far too amused.

“You would,” Sami adds. 

Rami starts lightly scratching at Joe’s neck and Joe bites back a moan and nuzzles into him. “So what were you talking about last night?” he asks.

Joe’s mind is still fuzzy. He has a vague memory of talking about Myspace and beaches, of all things, but he can’t really remember why. It isn’t until Sami says, “Joe was running some business ideas by me,” that he remembers why he and Sami met up in the first place.

He sits up, suddenly wide awake. “I can’t remember any of my ideas,” Joe says slowly.

“They weren’t great ideas anyway,” Sami offers.

Joe scowls. “I’m sure Rami would disagree.”

Rami pats Joe’s hand reassuringly. “I’m sure whatever ideas you had were brilliant.”

“You need to help me remember,” Joe says to Sami.

“First we need to eat,” Rami says, and his tone indicates he’s not up for an argument or discussion so Joe lets the matter drop with nothing more than an expectant glance thrown Sami’s way.

Sami sends him an email later in the week which includes a bulleted and very detailed list of all the ideas the two of them came up with while they were drunk.

Joe doesn’t even remember discussing half of what’s on the list. He’s a little miffed that Sami has a better memory than he does, though he suspects Sami has added some ideas to the list that neither of them brought up previously. He knows how secretly devious both Rami and Sami can be.

He reads the fifth suggestion on the list - _propose at the next red carpet event_ \- and frowns. His frown deepens when he moves onto the next suggestion: _use my idea of a movie to propose_.

None of those ideas sound right. They’re not bad in theory, but they don’t sound like him and Rami.

Reinforcements are definitely needed. So Joe waits until he knows Sami’s school is almost done for the day before making the trek over. He finds Sami grading essays in his empty classroom and knocks on the door.

“We need to talk,” he says, inviting himself in without waiting for Sami to acknowledge him. He perches on one of the student desks and looks around the room curiously.

“Don’t sit like that, it’ll tip over. I’m not picking you up on the floor if you fall,” Sami says without looking up.

“Rami is way more chivalrous,” Joe says. “He’d pick me up if I fell.”

“That’s why you’re dating him and not me,” Sami snarks.

Joe huffs, but removes himself from the desk and instead plops down in the swivel chair at the front of the room and starts rolling around in circles.

“You’re as bad as my students,” Sami says, kicking out a foot to stop Joe from spinning in the chair. “Why are you here?” 

His tone is long-suffering and it’s so similar to the tone Rami gets when his patience is running thin that Joe grins.

“Can’t I visit one of my favorite people in the world?”

Sami shuffles some papers together and places them in a folder marked “Graded Essays”. “Get to the point, Mazzello.”

“You seem invested in this,” he says. He picks up a pen from the desk and starts fiddling with it. “My proposal, I mean.”

Sami throws him an indecipherable look over his shoulder. “Why shouldn’t I be invested? You’re proposing to my brother.”

Joe shrugs. “Not many people would be invested enough to write a long list of ideas.”

“You _asked_ for my help,” Sami says. He sets down his folders and leans against his desk, studying Joe. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

“What? No!” Joe says. He waves his hands and tries to search for the right words. “I’m just … I don’t think any of those ideas will work for a proposal.”

“If you’ve wasted my time, you’re buying drinks for the next year.”

“I would never waste your time,” Joe says, even though that’s clearly what he’s doing now. “But to be fair, we were drunk and every idea sounds good when you’re drunk.”

“True,” Sami says. He crosses his arms thoughtfully. “So you’re seriously stuck on this?”

Joe nods, a little embarrassed. He does have ideas on how to propose, but he thinks all of them fall flat. He wants the moment to be perfect, something that Rami remembers forever and will gladly talk about in interviews.

“How about a surprise party?” Sami says slowly, still deep in thought. “With all our friends and family there?”

“What if he says no?” Joe asks. The last thing he wants is for dozens of people to witness his embarrassment.

Sami looks over at him, his expression morphing from surprise to gentleness. “He’s going to say yes no matter what.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one proposing,” Joe mutters.

Sami sighs. “Look, I don’t think you have anything to worry about on that front. So how about it? Does the party idea sound good?”

“I guess,” Joe says, even though he’s not entirely into the idea.

“Nice, I can start figuring out who to invite.”

“Don’t go wild,” Joe says warily. “I don’t even know if that’s what I’ll end up doing.”

Sami raises an eyebrow and adopts what Joe calls his “protective brother” face. “You better decide soon if you want to propose in the next few months. But whatever you do, _do not_ mess it up. Rami might forgive you, but I won’t.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better!” Joe says.

In fact, it only makes him feel even more anxious about getting the proposal right. 

“Your brother is ridiculous,” Joe announces.

He plops down onto the sofa and lays his head on Rami’s stomach. Rami obediently pushes his fingers through Joe’s hair, smiling when Joe moans contentedly.

“You two have been conspiring lately,” Rami says. 

“He’s helping me with something,” Joe says. 

“You said it was a business idea,” Rami says, though his tone belies his skepticism. 

Joe closes his eyes and snuggles into Rami. He’s never been very good at lying to Rami.

“Yup,” he forces himself to say, “that’s right. A business idea.”

Rami moves his hand from Joe’s hair, running it down the length of his back. He kneads the muscles in Joe’s shoulders and Joe bites back a groan at how amazing it feels. “I like that you two get along so well, but don’t let him push you around.”

“Are you going to fight him to defend my honor?” Joe jokes. “I hate to say it, but I don’t think you’d be the one coming out on top.”

“I’m scrappy,” Rami says loftily. 

Joe chuckles and pats Rami’s side. “You are. Wouldn’t put it past you to fight dirty.”

“If we’re fighting over you, I’d win,” Rami says. He shuffles down the sofa until he can wrap his arms around Joe’s waist so they’re in a better position to cuddle. 

“Getting fought over by the Malek twins? My life can’t get any better,” Joe says.

A smile flashes over Rami’s face before it smooths out into the concern he was wearing earlier. “I’m serious, though. I don’t know what’s going on, but don’t let Sami bother you too much.”

“He’s not. I just needed his advice,” Joe assures. He peeks up at Rami and smiles softly. “You know I’d usually come to you for advice, but this is a special case.”

“I know I’ve been busy lately,” Rami says apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it,” Joe says. He’d never resent Rami for working so hard or for being off on set all the time. This is the career and industry they’ve chosen and they both know the downsides.

“I still feel bad. We’ve barely had any time alone,” Rami says. He presses a kiss to the top of Joe’s head. “Maybe we can go away somewhere soon?”

Joe murmurs a wordless acknowledgement. He likes the sound of that.

In the end, Joe doesn’t go forward with any of the plans he and Sami made. He proposes unexpectedly when he and Rami are back in New York.

They’re on the East Coast so Rami can make some talk show appearances and so Joe can visit with his family. They have some spare time sprinkled throughout their trip, as quick as it is, and Joe decides that they’re going to use one of their free nights for a date.

He books them reservations at one of the restaurants they used to visit all the time when they first started dating. It’s a small hole in the wall type of place, a bit out of the way but ridiculously cheap. They used to eat here all the time when neither of them had much money to spend on fancy meals. Now they can eat anywhere they want, but there’s something quaint and inviting about revisiting a place they associate with the start of their relationship.

Rami beams when he sees where Joe’s brought them, the surprise and delight evident in his expression.

“We haven’t been here in years,” Rami says once they’re seated at a small table tucked into a corner.

“I know,” Joe says, looking around the restaurant. “I’ve kind of missed coming here. It used to be our date night spot.”

“We have so many good memories of this place,” Rami says warmly. He persuses the menu, but not much has changed so they pretty much already know what to order. 

“We do,” Joe agrees. 

After they submit their orders and get their drinks, Joe says, “So I know it’s not much of a getaway like you suggested, but maybe this can hold us over until I can spirit you away on some romantic vacation.”

“Or I could plan the vacation. I want a chance to romance you too,” Rami replies, smiling. He rubs his foot up Joe’s calf underneath the table.

Something warm and happy sparks inside Joe’s chest. It’s been almost a year since they first announced their relationship and the fact that they can be affectionate with each other in public makes him beyond happy. There’s nothing he wants more than for the rest of the world to know how much he loves Rami. 

Joe looks at Rami, beautiful and happy as he sips at his drink, and an idea starts to take shape.

_This is truly where it all started_, Joe thinks. He and Rami may have met in Australia and gotten to know each other over the course of filming, but it was in New York where they started dating. It was in this restaurant where they reconnected over countless dinners, where they came once they had settled into their relationship. It’s where they celebrated when Rami won the part in _Mr. Robot_ and when Joe’s directorial debut had been picked up by a studio.

Joe clears his throat and before he can think twice about it he says, “I need to ask you something.”

“Okay,” Rami says, and when Joe hesitates for too long, he starts to look concerned and adds, “Is something wrong?”

“I wanted to wait for the perfect moment,” Joe begins, “but I’m realizing now that trying to plan a perfect moment is impossible. Because this right here is already perfect. You, me, and one of our favorite restaurants. That’s all I really need.”

Joe reaches out to grab Rami’s hand, squeezing once before he lets their entwined hands rest on the table. “I don’t have rings yet or anything, but… Rami, will you marry me?”

There’s a long moment of silence where Rami stares at him in surprise. He looks lost for words. Just when Joe’s about to start worrying, Rami breathes out, “Yes.”

Joe breaks out into a wide smile. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Rami says. “Of course I want to marry you.”

“I don’t have any rings yet,” Joe starts, but Rami cuts him off with, “we can pick some out together.”

Joe can’t believe they’re engaged. He wants to shout it from the rooftops so that everyone nearby can hear that he’s engaged to the love of his life.

“I love you,” Joe says, his tone thick with affection.

“I love you, too,” Rami replies. He can’t stop smiling and he leans across the table and kisses Joe softly. “Want to get out of here?”

“You read my mind,” Joe says. He pushes his plate aside and beckons for the waiter. Once they’ve settled the bill, he links his fingers with Rami as they head back towards their hotel. “I want to celebrate with my new fiance.”

Joe doesn’t think he’ll ever forget the pleased, fond look that crosses Rami’s face the moment Joe calls him his fiance. 

Later, when they’re cuddling in the afterglow of several rounds of enthusiastic sex, Rami says, “I wanted to propose to you, you know. I kept thinking about it but I never found the right moment.”

Joe runs a hand down Rami’s back with a soft laugh. “Sami might have mentioned it.”

Rami props his head up on his arm, peering at Joe curiously. “Oh, is that what your business idea was all about?” he asks, tone teasing.

“Yeah,” Joe says, blushing a little. It seems like a silly excuse in retrospect. “I wanted his advice. Turns out I really didn’t need it after all.”

Rami smiles. “Guess not.”

“He’s going to be so annoyed that I ignored all his advice, though,” Joe muses. 

“That’s his tough luck,” Rami says. He kisses Joe’s bicep and then settles back down so his head is resting on Joe’s chest. 

Joe nudges Rami, waking him once he realizes he’s well on his way to falling asleep. “You should tell him.”

“I guess,” Rami says. He slides off the bed and goes to dig around in his jacket for his phone. He taps out a message and then crawls back onto the bed to curl up against Joe’s side, tossing his phone down onto the floor.

Joe’s phone buzzes about a second later and he sees the text Rami sent to the groupchat they share with Sami: _Joe and I are engaged! Don’t tell mom, gonna call her later._

It’s almost immediately followed by a reply from Sami that reads, _What the fuck, Mazzello? I thought we had a plan._

“Oops,” Joe says. He completely forgot about that.

_Sorry, went rogue,_ Joe replies at the same time that Rami mutters, “you two are ridiculous.”  
_Congrats btw_, Sami adds, _But now you owe me because I already rented out a space for the surprise party we planned._

Joe smiles and turns off his phone, pulling Rami back into his arms. He’ll deal with Sami later. Right now he wants to cuddle with his fiance.

“I don’t understand what the big deal is,” Rami mutters, tucking his head under Joe’s chin. “He’s not your fiance. I am.”

“You are,” Joe says, voice tinged in wonder. He thinks he’s only going to get over his awe at calling Rami his fiance once he can transition to calling him his husband instead.

“He will be your brother-in-law, though,” Rami adds, and there’s some measure of humor in his voice. “So I guess if you’re stuck with me, he’s coming along. Package deal.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Joe says. 

“Hope you’re ready for it.”

Joe kisses the top of Rami’s head and buries his face in his curls with a smile. “For you, I’d deal with anything, even if it means overprotective twin brothers.”

“Good,” Rami says, “but based on this, you two are not going to conspire together once we start planning the wedding.”

“Deal,” Joe says with a laugh.


End file.
